Sanitary sewer pipes are generally installed underground so that they extend nearly horizontally at a depth of, typically, three feet or more below the surface which may be a hard-surfaced street or simply beneath the ground. Because of the waste material which is carried by such pipes and because of the incursion of roots and the like, it is necessary to run a cleaning tool through a sewer pipe from time to time. A truck specially equipped with a large-volume water tank, a high-pressure water pump and a length of high-pressure hose, is used. A nozzle designed to propel the hose through the pipe is attached to the hose. The hose is unrolled from a reel on the truck through an open manhole and the nozzle end is inserted into an open end of the sewer pipe. Water under pressure is then applied to the hose and the nozzle is propelled through the pipe, carrying the hose with it as the hose unreels from the truck, to the next manhole which may be 250 to 400 feet away. The reel is then driven in the opposite direction to reel in the hose while water under pressure is passed through the hose, accomplishing the desired cleaning.
While this system works well, a disadvantage is that the hose rubs against the edge of the open end of the sewer pipe. This edge can be sharp and rough and causes considerable wear of the hose, which is commonly rubber-covered. Such hoses are quite expensive and need to be replaced frequently at significant cost. In an effort to reduce this cost, rubber sleeves or rigid guides have been developed. The intent is that such devices are lowered into the manhole around the hose to protect against this damage, but they are heavy and/or very cumbersome with the result that they are not used, leaving the hoses unprotected.